It is important to note that not everyone is going to want to be your friend and that you need to establish boundaries when you realize that someone is reluctant to accept your friendship. It is better to have someone reject your friendship discreetly than end up with hundreds of friends who will just want to use you for their own personal gain.

So don’t take it personally when someone shows the signs below, respect their choice and understand that they could have valid reasons. For instance, sometimes, people are too tired to put effort into socializing or they are simply introverts and prefer being alone, etc. In any case, here are a few signs that someone doesn’t want to be your friend:

Signs that someone doesn’t want to be your friend:

1- They listen, smile, nod but don’t say much:

A one-sided conversation is never going to be enjoyable for the person making the effort. However, sometimes the person talking is too absorbed by what they’re saying, passionate and interested in their own story that they don’t even notice how bored or uninterested the other person is.

In fact, if the person on the receiving end is kind enough then chances are they’ll go as far as nodding, smiling, and pretending to care. However, if they don’t have much to say then it is a sign that they’re wishing the conversation doesn’t go any further.

You might think it’s okay to have a one-sided conversation with someone, but it’s not because not only are you wasting their time, you’re wasting yours too! It’s not going to be long before they find an excuse to disappear, anyway.

2- They make up excuses not to hang out with you:

The thing is, we all have different lives and different priorities. It’s hard to fit everyone in and make them feel important when you’re juggling a million things at once. But it doesn’t mean that you will be rude about it either. Many people create believable excuses and lies that would fool anyone just to get off someone who has been pestering them to hang out or meet.

So if you’re having a hard time differentiating between whether the person is just too nice to say no or is actually busy, we’re here to help. If you have mentioned wanting to hand out or meet more than twice and they have created different (but believable!) excuses both times, don’t ask a third time!

Do yourself a favor and do not ask them again. If they were interested in real, then they’ll remember and ask you instead. If not, then it’s time to move on!

3- They never initiate any topic of importance:

You might have noticed that some people don’t ever initiate any topic or talk of importance, with you. They might be nice enough to answer your questions and talk a little about whatever topic you brought up.

However, they will never be the ones starting a conversation that’s about a real topic rather than just something silly or the weather. This type of person is clearly not looking to get to know you or become a close friend.

They are cordial and polite and that’s about it. More often than not, people like this will not be open to friendship even if you pursued it. That’s because people that are open to friendship are always more open to talking, laughing, and even oversharing personal information.

4- They never ask any type of personal questions:

Again, because a specific someone is not interested to get to know you more not only will they never bring up a topic of importance, but they’ll never ask personal questions either. They will never ask you anything at all about yourself, preferences, ideas, likes, dislikes, etc.

Clearly, a person like this is not comfortable sharing anything with you. The next thing that you need to do is figure out what the other person wants if they suddenly ask you a personal question one day. That would be acting of character for them so you need to figure out their motives for asking.

5- You don’t hear back from them, once they’re gone:

They never try to contact you in any way, text you, or call you once they left. Usually, when someone is close enough to you, your friend, or wants to be your friend they will occasionally text you or call even if you just separated. Just in case they forgot to tell you something or to check what your plan for the day or the next day is.

However, when dealing with someone that’s mentally counting the minutes to disappear from your sight, they usually never reach out first once they’re gone. Check out this article on 7 signs that someone only sees you as a friend, and doesn’t see any potential in ever dating you.